Royal Antwerp Golf Club

About the club

Founded in 1888, Royal Antwerp is Belgium's oldest golf club and features a gallery of historic pictures. Willie Park Jr., son of the first winner of the Open Championship and later himself a winner, made significant improvements in 1913 that were taken further by Tom Simpson in 1930. The "Royal" moniker is well earned, for no monarch has taken more interest in golf than Belgium's Leopold III, who before and after World War II represented the country internationally. With heather and woodland, pine and birch, the course resembles those of Surrey and Berkshire, which is unsurprising since both Park and Simpson played key roles in developing Sunningdale's courses, and Park designed the Old Course. Royal Antwerp is easier, but its strategically placed bunkers in combination with native heather and trees offer a subtle test. The course is very flat, but the peaceful seclusion of the woods makes for a fantastic round.